Swedish premium¹ carmaker Volvo is to share a factory in China with parent Geely, the first time that Chinese and foreign marques will be made on the same mainland production line.

瑞士豪车制造商沃尔沃(Volvo)将与其母公司吉利(Geely)共同使用位于中国的一家制造厂，这将是中外品牌的汽车首次在中国内地的同一条生产线上生产。

Volvo’s smaller 40-series model and cars under Geely’s recently launched mid-range Lynk & Co brand will be produced in a new facility being built in Luqiao, 350km south of Shanghai, using jointly² developed compact modular architecture.

沃尔沃较小的40系列车型和吉利最近发布的中档Lynk & Co品牌车型，将在上海以南350公里的路桥新建的一家工厂里生产，使用双方共同开发的紧凑模块化架构。

The move to bring manufacturing under the same roof is the latest step in efforts to tighten³ ties between Volvo and Geely by transferring European know-how⁴ to Geely while maintaining the Swedish automaker’s business and reputation.

通过一面维持沃尔沃这家瑞典汽车制造商的业务和声誉，一面将欧洲的技术专长转给吉利，沃尔沃和吉利努力加强着双方之间的关系。将双方的制造挪到同一屋檐下，就是这些努力当中的最新举措。

The Luqiao facility was announced on Wednesday at the revealing of Volvo’s new China manufacturing strategy, under which the company also outlined plans to move production of the new S90 luxury sedan from Sweden to China.

有关路桥工厂的消息，是沃尔沃周三披露其新的中国制造战略时宣布的。该公司还简要介绍了依据这项战略将新款S90豪华轿车的制造从瑞典迁往中国的计划。

“With three plants — and the designation of one car line for each plant — Volvo creates an efficient production structure ensuring future capacity for growth,” said Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive.

沃尔沃总裁兼首席执行官霍坎.萨穆埃尔松(Håkan Samuelsson)表示：“依靠三家工厂、以及为每家工厂指定一条汽车产品线，沃尔沃建立了高效的生产架构，确保了未来的增长能力。”

Li Shufu, Geely chairman, has given Volvo long rein⁶ and substantial financial support to grow the brand, while nurturing⁷ a long-term plan to upgrade Geely’s technical prowess through a research and design centre in Sweden, where engineers from both companies work side by side.

吉利董事长李书福为沃尔沃提供了很大自由度和大量的财务支持、以壮大该品牌，与此同时还在扶持一项长期计划，通过一家位于瑞典的研发设计中心来提升吉利的技术实力。在这家研发设计中心，吉利和沃尔沃的工程师并肩工作。

Mr Li described his approach as a slicker alternative to the outdated⁸ mode of cooperation where international automakers build and sell their marques in China, while a domestic partner provides market access and a production facility in a 50-50 joint venture.

李书福称，与国际汽车制造商在中国制造和销售其品牌车型的过时合作模式相比，他的模式更为有效。在传统模式下，中国国内的合资方会提供市场准入和一家双方各拥有一半股份的制造厂。

“We have made China our second home market,” said Lars Danielson, senior vice¹⁰ president for Volvo Asia Pacific. “We will leverage¹¹ our advantage of being one company rather than a joint venture.”

沃尔沃负责亚太区的高级副总裁拉尔斯.邓(Lars Danielson)表示：“我们已把中国当成了我们的第二个本土市场。我们将利用我们是一家公司而不是一家合资公司的优势。”

Mr Li is also among a growing contingent¹² of Chinese executives and policy makers⁹ who say the 50 per cent shareholder¹³ limit is preventing the Chinese auto⁵ industry from moving up the value chain and launching globally competitive marques.

越来越多的中国高管和政策制定者表示，50%的持股比例限制正妨碍中国汽车业向价值链高端攀升和推出有全球竞争力的品牌。李书福也持这样的观点。

Critics argue that instead of allowing a gradual transfer of expertise¹⁴, as originally planned, the regulations have made China’s largest automakers over-reliant on the sale of profitable JV-branded cars and deters¹⁵ them from taking risks to launch and develop their own brands.

批评者声称，这种监管规定不但未像最初计划的那样催生技术的逐步转让，反而令中国大型汽车制造商过度依赖于销售利润颇丰的合资品牌车型，阻碍它们冒险去推出和开发自有品牌。

The launch of Geely’s international mid-range brand Lynk & Co in Berlin in mid-October was a leap for a company that started out as an ultra low-cost carmaker, with Mr Li once claiming Geely would sell the cheapest cars ever made.

对于吉利这样靠生产极为廉价的汽车起家的公司而言，10月中旬在柏林推出Lynk & Co这一国际化中档品牌是一次飞跃。李书福曾声称吉利要造中国最便宜的轿车。

But the latest phase of Volvo’s integration¹⁶ with Geely may also mean the Swedish brand finds itself competing for sales with cars produced under its own roof.

不过，沃尔沃与吉利最新阶段的整合也许还意味着，这家瑞典品牌会发现，它要与自己工厂生产出来的汽车争市场。

China sales have been a major force in Volvo’s recovery from years of poor performance under Ford¹⁷. Sales have tripled over the past three years, making China Volvo’s largest single-country market.

在福特(Ford)旗下时，沃尔沃的业绩多年不佳。中国市场的销售已成为沃尔沃复苏的主要推动力之一。过去三年，沃尔沃在华销量增长了两倍，在各国当中，中国已成为该公司最大的市场。

Volvo sold more than 63,000 cars in China in the first nine months of 2016, up from 57,000 in the same period last year.

2016年头九个月，沃尔沃在华售出逾6.3万辆汽车，去年同期为5.7万辆。